Vinicius Junior played a key role as Real Madrid cruised past Salzburg 3-0 to reach the last 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup. The Brazilian scored the first goal and assisted the second in a match that confirmed Madrid as Group H winners with seven points.
Jude Bellingham set up the opener with a precise through ball in the 40th minute. Vinicius ran between two defenders and calmly slotted the ball into the net with his left foot. Just before halftime, he showed his flair again, using a clever back-heel to assist Federico Valverde after pouncing on a loose ball inside the Salzburg box.
The final goal came in the 84th minute. Trent Alexander-Arnold launched a ball forward that Salzburg’s Joane Gadou failed to clear. Gonzalo Garcia took advantage, intercepting the pass and finishing coolly for his second goal of the tournament.
Xabi Alonso’s side has now advanced to the knockout round unbeaten. They will face Juventus on Tuesday in Miami. The match drew 64,811 spectators to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, despite the rainy conditions. Fans cheered loudly for Bellingham and were treated to a strong team performance even without star forward Kylian Mbappe, who is still recovering from illness.
Real lined up with a back three, a setup Alonso previously used at Bayer Leverkusen. Aurelien Tchouameni joined Antonio Rudiger and Dean Huijsen in central defence, while Alexander-Arnold and Fran Garcia operated as wing-backs.
Salzburg created a few chances, including one after a mistake by Arda Guler, but couldn’t find a way past Madrid’s defence. With this loss, Salzburg exit the competition, while Al Hilal move on after beating Pachuca 2-0. They now face Manchester City in the next round.
